A push by City Councilman David Alvarez to put before voters an initiative aimed at making public records more readily available at San Diego City Hall stalled Tuesday.

A 7-2 council majority preferred instead to move forward on passing its own open-government legislation at a later date rather than put the issue before city voters and incur additional election costs in June. Alvarez and Councilwoman Marti Emerald supported a public vote on Alvarez’s plan because it would have changed the city charter and made it more difficult for future city leaders to change the rules.

Councilwoman Sherri Lightner led the opposition to Alvarez’s proposed ballot measure. She countered with a request to have the City Attorney’s Office analyze whether the Alvarez plan overlaps with a statewide measure regarding public records — Proposition 42 — on the June ballot. That analysis would include suggested amendments to the municipal code and go before a council committee.

“I believe that an ordinance may be more appropriate as the method to memorialize the city’s commitment to open government without the cost of putting this on the ballot,” Lightner said.

Alvarez and other supporters of his plan, including former Councilwoman Donna Frye, noted that the statewide initiative deals with the state reimbursing local governments for costs related to complying with the California Public Records Act. The Alvarez plan would clarify that all means of communication are open to inspection by the public, force city officials to justify any denial of access, make records related to contractors available and establish that when the need for secrecy becomes obsolete access can no longer be denied.

“The whole intent behind this was to be able to hold people accountable regardless of who the individuals are that are serving our public,” Alvarez said.

It could take several weeks or months before the city attorney analysis goes before a council committee.